


A Letter Worth Fifty Sovereigns

by Jarakrisafis



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Epistolary, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:14:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27271012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarakrisafis/pseuds/Jarakrisafis
Summary: There's gold resting on the answer to a very important question. If anyone can get Duran Aeducan to admit to anything.
Relationships: Male Aeducan/Female Brosca (Dragon Age)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10
Collections: 2020 A Paragon of Their Kind Dragon Age Dwarf Exchange





	A Letter Worth Fifty Sovereigns

**Author's Note:**

  * For [amarmeme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amarmeme/gifts).



Si **s** ter,

 **i** think you ~~wuod~~ woud like the ~~se **e**~~ sea. It is gud and sMells grate. if you **g** et to come do another ~~ambadas~~ ambasadoria thing you shoud see it.

Duran says i am Doin **g** gud but i am going to let Duran do the **re** st my Hand is hurting. Letters are ha **R** d. 

Nugshit brother and the lovely Rica,

We’re coming home. We had a bit of trouble out here that we had to solve, nothing we couldn’t deal with. We managed to find a Master Stonesmith, one Voldrik Glavonak who's Orzammar trained to help deal with the fact the human castle was pretty shoddily built. We managed to get it to a semi-decent state and it survived a siege. It shouldn’t fall down now we’re leaving it. It might take a while to get to you though, we need to go check on the Arling before we leave which means no straight path for us. We’ll then be doubling back to Denerim and picking up Gorim, his wife, and his son; is there anything you want us to grab on route?

We’re both looking forward to seeing our little nephew. Don’t you be thinking we’re a babysitting service though; we charge for that and I don’t believe you can afford the services of two Paragons, little brother.

Duran & Natia,  
Paragons of House Aeducan & House Brosca,  
Commanders of the Grey.

Ps. Could you please tell the servants that myself and Nat only need one bedchamber, setting two aside for us will just be wasting their time with cleaning.

\---

Sister,

Oh, it’s been too long, I’m looking forward to seeing you again. Little Endrin has grown so much since you last saw him, he’s just starting to crawl. Your penmanship is coming along great!

Vartag wants to know if you can find a packet of those mixed Tevinter spices anywhere, the last shipment got lost in a storm and he’s pining for my spicy nug stew. 

One bedchamber? Is there perhaps something you wish to tell us?

Rica of House Aeducan,  
Queen of Orzammar.

\---

Paragon Nuglicker,

I was going to tell you to find your own woman and stop complimenting mine. Instead I have to ask: what happened? You finally stopped pining and made a move? Has somebody swapped you with another dwarf? Or did my sister-by-bond finally drag you into a bed by your overly complicated braiding?

Bhelen of House Aeducan,  
King of Orzammar.

Ps. Also, for the record, when, were and how?

\---

Rica,

I am to tell you we’ll see what we can find for Vartag. And that the other thing is a long story.

Duran Aeducan.

not **w** ot i said. is a gud story **!** Like in t **H** e romantic boo **k** s. Nat.

\---

Royal twat,

Why do you want to know? And leave my braids alone.

Paragon of Awesome.

\---

Paragon of Assholes,

For reasons. And your braids are ridiculous.

His Royal Majesty.

\---

Duran Aeducan,

Cousin, there’s fifty gold resting on the answer of when you fell in love and how long it took you to do something about it. Between myself, Bhelen and Vartag.

Piotin Aeducan.

\---

Favourite cousin,

Look, I’m only writing this because we’re stuck at an inn on the coast road because of a storm.

… It was a dark and stormy night in the Brecilian Forest and a tree decided that for some reason it didn’t like us. This wasn’t anything unusual. Trees do tend to have a grudge against us for some reason. This one wasn’t actually alive though, it was just old, but of course it still chose the night we made camp to fall down. And as luck would have it – bad luck of course – it decided that flattening Natia’s tent was ideal.

Yes. Okay so I panicked once Morrigan got a light up because Ancestors forbid it was completely flattened and there was no way she was alive under that and she’d survived darkspawn and demons and angry trees just to die by being flattened and I had to sit down because shit what do I do now?

I ignored the pair of feet that stopped beside me, not important right now.

“Well, that fucking sucks.”

“Sucks? That’s all you ca...” I trailed off and looked up at what, in that moment, might have been the best sight I’d had in weeks.

“Duster luck keeps going huh? Guess I chose the best time to go take a piss.” I could have wept. I laughed instead. Possibly slightly hysterically as she just blinked down, completely nonplussed by the fact she’d just escaped death by a very small margin. “Well, come on then, nothing to be done now, sort it in the morning when we can see.”

We were back in my tent before I realised what was going on. A very small and cramped tent now that it had two people in it. She slipped out of the cloak she’d obviously put on to go do her business and snuggled into my bedroll. I had the choice of sleeping outside or joining the snuggling. It was cold and raining slightly. That wasn’t really a choice. Snuggling it was.

In hindsight, she might have been wanting more but I was brought up with some amount of honour. Even when I woke up with a hand clamped around my ass.

Duran.

\---

Idiot brother,

Took me a day to pry your letter from Piotin's hands and all I have to say is: you curled up together OVER A YEAR AGO and you didn’t think... That’s just... I don’t…

You’re an idiot. A Stoneblind idiot. Listening to this is like watching the deepstalkers run out of a mine and then lighting a flame.

Also, that didn’t clarify - was that the moment you realised you were in love?

Not an idiot King.

\---

His Majesty, totally an idiot,

What is this, interrogate Duran week? If you must know. I liked her the moment I saw her fighting. In Orzammar. That Proving they called off because some brand fought in it? Yeah, that was Nat. Such grace and elegance. I knew it wasn’t Everd right away, thought it was another Warrior caste. They’d be in trouble, but nothing the right application of gold couldn’t wipe from the record. When I saw the brand - it was like jumping into a cold bath. Such a waste of talent and skill. The Ancestors must have been laughing when they set her to be born to a casteless mother.

Nothing to be done about it though. Orzammar has rules and she’d broken them. I couldn’t bear to see them execute her so I stayed out of the way, didn’t hear the news that she’d vanished from the cells, I was too busy with my own upcoming promotion. After all of… ~~the things we agreed not to yell about at each other again for Endrin’s sake.~~ Gorim managed to get me a rough direction the Wardens were heading in - well, it’s not as if I thought to ask him if they had conscripted any dwarves. Certainly it wouldn’t have crossed my mind to ask if they’d conscripted a branded fighter who could put half the actual warrior caste to shame and was meant to have been executed a few days before.

So yes, anyway, I got to the point of finally finding the Wardens, brilliant! I’d done it. Fuck you brother. I’d survived. So I’m there feeling quite pleased with myself and this small figure steps forwards and says, ever so sweetly, “oh lovely, a royal nob, you Wardens accept the best travelling companions.”

That brother, that was the real moment I fell in love. No, I didn’t realise it. And before you say anything - fuck off.

Hopelessly oblivious Paragon.

\---

Natia,

My brother is an idiot. I’m so sorry you had to put up with him.

Bhelen.

\---

Bhelen,

 **i** must aDmit it w **o** s hard, but i have come to **li** ke him and he has **g** rown on me.

Nat.

\---

Sister,

What did you send my husband? He just spent five minutes chortling into his breakfast when the mail came in and then said that he loves you. Also, that was more information than he really needed about Duran. He refuses to show me the letter. I am intrigued and yet get a feeling I definitely do not want to know.

Rica.

\---

Sister,

You **d** o Not wont to no.

Nat

\---

Brother.

Whatever Natia just stole off with the bird to send you, ignore it.

Duran.

\---

Duran,

Too late.

Bhelen.

Ps, still waiting for the rest of this story. When was the next time you failed to pull her into your lap and declare your undying love?

\---

Apparent Romantic,

You know how hard it is to sweep someone off their feet and declare undying love when the world is falling down around you? Also when you might think said other person hates your guts?

I almost said something in Ostagar, but you know, darkspawn aren't conducive to a good night. And then we were too busy running north with every other able bodied refugee.

Perhaps once we got to Denerim I could have, but she barely spent a night in the Taverns, fuck knows where she got off too but it was certainly profitable. Got to love a woman who can triple your coin in one night. No she was not going to a brothel - that I asked. She ignored me for three days.

After that we had to head towards the Brecilian Forest and the aforementioned tree incident. There was just no time to go courting.

 ~~Duran.~~ **T** otaly **o** blivius oNe.

For the recorD, i **d** id not hate His guts. He **w** os just real ~~eazy~~ easy to rile up.

Nat.

\---

Totally Oblivious One,

Okay, so skip past the tree incident, what then?

I can't believe we're related.

The Romantic One.

\---

Apparent Romantic,

We got to Redcliffe next. Nice place except for the demon infested corpses walking out of the lake… Can't say that was too romantic.

Then the castle was full of darkspawn.

And just when you think you've won… there's a demon in command of the castle. So we had to deal with that.

Aaaaand then actually it's still not the end because the humans need some religious icon to cure some disease. I'll confess I stopped listening, as long as it worked I didn't care how it worked.

\-- d **e** d person as **H** es cure all the Things! Nat. --

Do you mind, Nat?! Write your own letter. So, off we went to look for some human cure all thing that was probably all brontoshit. Up into the mountains which are cold and wet. And did I mention cold. The huddling would have been nice except it was the entire team packed close together trying not to freeze our tits or balls off.

Then we fought a dragon.

That bit is romantic right?

Dragonslayer.

\---

Duran Aeducan,

Bhelen's making me write this because otherwise he might destroy some more paper by putting the pen through it. Again.

Bhelen says, and this is a direct quote: "Killing a dragon is not romantic, you utter fool. And... Actually, you know what. No. I'm done. Just tell him yes. Very romantic. Do it more. Drench your love in the gory innards of the dragon's belly. I'm sure she'll love it."

Bhelen Aeducan,  
by the hand of Vartag Gavorn.

\---

Vartag,

My brother's sarcasm is noted. However I will point out Nat does love her dragonhide armour I had commissioned for her.

Duran.

with my **m** oney sO only teknicaly he got it for mE.

Nat.

\---

Duran and Nat,

Please continue with the story of oblivious love. Anything to distract Bhelen from his current muttering about dragons and idiots.

Rica.

\---

Rica (and Bhelen I suppose),

Next I procured for the love of my life, a golem. Alas the golem did not want to be procured. So that was kinda shit. Worst present ever.

Then we went to the mage tower, that was a rather harrowing experience.

\-- **i** s That me **a** Nt to be funny? --

It was, but I just realised my brother probably won't get it.

There was no time for romantic gestures till we'd cleared out the demons, stopped the templars and mages from murdering each other and basically sat them all down like little children to work things out.

After that we set off for Orzammar and I'm sure you recall how that went?

Duran and Nat.

\---

Duran,

Unlike you I have cracked open a book and listened to the memories, I know what a harrowing is with regards to mages.

And yes, I recall what happened when you walked into Orzammar. You nearly broke my jaw.

Bhelen.

\---

Bhelen,

You deserved it. However I was more meaning the trek into the Deep Roads not being optimal for romance. Unless you wish to tell me that you took Rica into the Deep Roads to profess your undying love for her.

Duran.

Depen **D** s wich deep roads **y** ou aRe talking about.

Nat.

\---

Natia Brosca!

Get your mind out of the pit.

Rica.

\---

Rica,

Cant it liVes there!

Nat

\---

Duran,

Okay, so what about when you got back from the deep roads after I was crowned? You stayed for nearly a week before heading back out.

Bhelen.

\---

Brother,

Don't tell her this but your wife is sodding scary. I thought she might kill me if I even looked at Nat wrong.

Duran.

\---

Scared one,

She is. The rest of the Assembly are terrified of her. Should have seen their faces when I let them in on the secret that my concubine is the blood-sister of one of those Paragons they'd just accepted and since she's now a Noble I'd be marrying her.

So, back to the story, you went on to Denerim, I presume you had your big fight that Piotin said was glorious but that was also not a time to be courting. Or was it? I mean, it was a dragon, right?

Smug one.

\---

Smug asshole,

Not that dragon. ~~It nearly killed her.~~ Shit! Don't show that to Rica. 

It was a very hard fight and we had to recover afterwards. At which point we had to head for Amaranthine. We cuddled for warmth on route but it was just for warmth. The surface still feels sodding freezing even in the 'summer'.

Then Amaranthine turned out to need help, as per the letter we sent and I'm sure you can imagine trying to save a Keep, a City and the surrounding countryside - it didn't leave much time for courting.

Duran.

\---

Duran,

Thank you so much, I had to burn the last letter so Rica couldn't sneak off with it. Now she isn't talking to me. The things I do for you.

Okay. So I'm guessing we're reaching the end of this hilarious recounting of over a year of you being oblivious. The Keep was saved, the City was safe. What then?

Bhelen.

\---

Bhelen,

Sigrun stole Nat's lockpick set and then locked us in a small room with no windows.

Duran.


End file.
